Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-06-11

= ours was, 10 have passages running into
mes bed chamber from no ono knows where.
II thore are passages people can como up
hem; they can come up when one l. nsleep.
Partly 10 SEQ where II went 10 and partly
from restless desire TO bo doing something,
followed the passage II led 10 stone stair,
Hhioh descended the stair ended In another
passage, or rather tunnel, also bown out Of
tho DO | rock, and running, 20 far as could
Judge, exactly beneath tho passage that Jed TO
the entrance Of our rooms and across the
great central cnye. | went ON down III it
was az silent ns tho grave, but stil drawn by
some sensation or attraction that cannot de-
scribe, | followed on, my stoelsingod feet fall
Ing without noise on tho smooth and rocky
door. When had travesed some flfty yards
Of space came 10 another passage, running
AZ right angles, and bore on awful thing hap
pened TO nle--the sharp drnught caught my
lamp and oxtlnguished IL, leaving me IN utter
darkness In the bowels Of that mysterious
place. | took u couple Of strides forward so
as 10 clear tho bisecting tunnel, being terribly
afraid lest should turn up In the dark II /
once got confused as 20 the direction, aud then
paused to think What was TO dol
had no match; IL seemed awful
TO attempt that long journey back through
Tho utter gloom and yet could not stand
there all night, and, II | did probably Il
would not help mo much for In tho bowels
Of the rock IL would be as dark at midday as
at midnight, looked back over my shout
DER sight or q sound. l poorcd for
ward down the darkness: surely far away |
saw something like the faint glow Of fire.
Perhaps IL was cave whore could get
light--at any rate II was worth investigating.
Slowly and painfully crept along the tunnel,
keeping my hand against It's wall and feeling
at every step with my foot before | put It
down, fearing lest should fall into some pit.
Thirty paces-thero was light, Pickering
| light shining through curtainsi Fifty PAGES
lit was close at handl Sixty-oh, great
heavenl
was at The curtains, and they did not
lang close, so ! could sec clearly into the
l.tte cavern beyond them It had all tho APP
oea 'ancp of being tomb, and was lit up by
4 II That burned In IL center with whltlsh
fame and without smoke Indeed, there to
the left was a stone shelf with little ledge TO
1t tiroe inches or so high, and on tho shelf
lay what took to be- corpse; at any rate
1t looked like one with something white
thrown over IL. To the right was n similar
shelf, on which lay some broidered coverings
Over the fro bent the figure of a woman; she
was sideways TO mo and fnclng the corpse,
wrapped in O dark mantle that hid her like q
nuns cloak She seemed to be staring ut tho
pickering flame. Suddenly, as I was trying
TO make up my mind what to do, with q con-
vnlsivo movement that somehow gave an Inn
preston of dospairing energy, tho woman
rose to her feet and cast the dark cloak from
her.
II was She herself
She was clothed, as had seen her when
she unveiled, in tho kirtlc Of clinging white,
cut low upon her bosom, and bound In at the
waist with the barbaric double headed snake,
and, as before her ripping black hair fell in
heavy masses down her back. But hor face
was what caught my eye, and held me as In q
wise, not this time by the force OF her beauty,
but by the power of fascinated terror. The
beauty was still there, indeed, but the agony,
the blind passion and the awful vindctive-
ness displayed upon those quivering features,
and In the tortured look OF this upturned eyes,
were such as surpass my powers Of description.
For moment she stood still, her hands
raised high above her head, and as sho did 30
the white robe slipped from her down to her
golden girdle, barring the binding lcvoliness
Of her form. She stood there, her fingers
clincbed, and the awful look OF malevolence
gathered and deepened ON her face.
Down came the clinched hands to her sides,
then up again above her head, and, as am a
living and honorable man, the flame Of the
fire lsaped up after them, almost to tho roof,
throwing force and vivid glare upon She
herself upon the white figure beneath the
covering, and every scroll and detail on the
rock work.
Down came the ivory arms again, and as
they did SO she spoke or rather hissed, in
Arabic, i'm note that curdled my blood, and
for second stopped my heart.
Course her! may she DO everlastlngly &C.
cursedr'
The arms fell and the flames sunk. Ur
they went again, and the broad tongue of flre
shot up after them; then again they fell.
Course her memory accursed BIO tho mem
ory Of the Egyptian n
Up again, and again down.
Course her, tho fair daughter Of the Nile
because of her beauty
Course her because her magic has pre-
vailed against me- 8
Course hcr because sho has kept my be